Sunday, February 26, 2012

Rowan has been going to extremes with dressing up lately. It might be a pair of my shoes, a superhero costume, anybody's clothes but his own, Halloween costumes. Last week he wanted to get out the dragon Halloween costume. He wore it half the day. We even went to the park to swing in his dragon costume.

After we came back in, he found one of the life vests. Coupled with the fact that I'd told him we were going swimming that night, he wore that life vest all around, even fell asleep with it on.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

I've been using Instagram on my iphone ever since Marshall and I got our new phones in November. Looking back on a lot of the pictures, there were a lot of fun things and days that I documented, so I will be doing Instagram recaps every once in a while. (And if you are on it and aren't following, my user is tiffany01018.) Here are pics from the last 3 weeks....

Monday, February 20, 2012

Marshall and I have been married 7 1/2 years. In that time, he's had 8 jobs, 6 months of unemployment, and started his own business. A little much? ;) On the way home from the store tonight, we were joking a bit about it. Marsh said looking back on it, others might think he couldn't hold a job. Not really the case. If you know Marshall at all, you'll know he's definitely an over achiever. He's not happy just doing something straightforward, likes to think out of the box, and is always going above and beyond. It's quite amazing really and I have wondered many times why I can't have the drive that he does.

When Marshall took his 7th job 2 years ago, it was with Franklin Covey, Speed of Trust. He was a Marketing Administrator and was extremely excited about the job. Over time, it was evident that he would have to win the trust of many in his office. I can remember countless times where he would come home, frustrated that there were certain factors where he felt like he was limited. He wanted to go above and beyond but was shot down many times, or told he didn't know what he was doing. There were also a lot of places where he was appreciated though, and he created some lasting friendships and relationships at this job. Along the way, he was able to build relationships with some people at corporate and about 6 weeks ago, he saw an opening at Franklin Covey Corporate for a Marketing Manager in the Federal Government division. He knew it was an opportunity to invest more in his career, so he applied. After 2 interviews, he was offered a position. He knows in part that the practice leader at Franklin Covey who worked closely with Marshall highly recommended him for the position which we are so grateful for.

Marsh started about 2 weeks ago. Along with a nice raise in salary, he's got some more freedom to be creative and is loving his job so far. There's potential for growth and advancement opportunities with this company, which is really exciting. His commute is a bit longer so we are hoping to move up North a bit more, but that probably won't happen for another year. The market for selling homes isn't great right now and we're leering about renting out our town home. Plus, I think we'd rather get out of debt and save for a nice down payment before looking into buying another house. I'm excited to see where this job will take him, and I couldn't be more proud.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

I tend to stress a lot when I go anywhere alone with the boys. Chandler was naturally a wanderer when he was younger and although he's gotten much better, I still worry about him. Rowan is twice as bad when it comes to wandering and due to our communication barrier he's given me quite a few scares over the last few weeks.

A couple of weeks ago, I headed out for a Saturday run. The plan was to do 4 miles which takes me under 40 minutes. When I got home, I noticed that the car was gone. I figured that Marshall had taken the boys to run an errand and didn't think much more of it. About 5 minutes later, Marsh pulled up and said he couldn't find the boys. I looked at him a little confused, and he said they'd been gone about 15 minutes. That's very unlike Chandler as he knows he isn't supposed to just leave. Chandler's coat and shoes were gone, but Rowan's were still sitting by the door and his coat was in the closet. I started looking everywhere, texted friends, started knocking on doors. Marshall hopped back in the car to continue looking for them. Another 10 minutes passed and I became pretty hysterical. I called 911 and they started asking a ton of questions. They asked about everything from suspicious activity to what they were wearing, hair color etc. She also told me to have pictures and social security cards ready for the officer that was coming out to our house. I felt my whole world flash in front of me. These two little boys are our whole world, our family. I couldn't stop sobbing and everytime I would call Marshall, I could tell he was crying and really shaken up as well. Another 20 minutes passed and an officer showed up at our house. He said that someone had called in and found 2 kids 3/4 of a mile from where we live. I almost immediately knew it was them, but wanted confirmation. Marshall came home with them about 5 minutes later. Rowan was wearing Chan's boots and no coat. I'm thankful for that woman who saw something out of the ordinary, kept them, and called the police. I asked Chandler why he left. He told me dad wouldn't let him play the ipad so he was coming to ask me. I made it very clear that he is to never leave without us knowing and to never come look for me on a run. Then I cried some more and held them tight.

This last week, I went to pick Rowan's up from the sitter's house. I unlocked the door to our home, and he ran away. I come around the corner and he's seriously gone. I told Chandler to start looking for him and I did as well. About 5 minutes later, we found him on another block. He saw me, laughed and run away. I keep explaining to Rowan why he can't just run away, and I just don't think he understands.

Last night, I took the boys swimming and then to McDonald's. Marshall had to stay home to get some work done, so I was alone. I was stressed watching them at the pool as there were a lot of people there and they were playing in two separate areas. After being there for 2 hours, we headed to McDonald's for dinner. The only table available in the play area was back in the corner where I couldn't see them very well. Another table cleared out closer to the play area, so I moved our tray over there. I looked up to see both boys playing and then situated our food on the table. When I looked up maybe 30 seconds later, I didn't see Rowan. I thought he might be in the slide or around the back part so I asked Chandler to help me start looking for him. After a few minutes, I realized he wasn't there. I started asking all of the workers and was on the verge of tears. A few minutes later, I saw two men walking towards the door with Rowan. I ran out to meet them. One of the men said that Rowan was running out into the road on a busy intersection. He then looked at me and almost scornfully told me to be careful. I lost it and started crying. I packed the boys up and we headed home.

What a challenge this has been. I pray that communication will start to come for Rowan and that he will understand why he can't just leave. He is making progress and was answering some simple questions for me this week which is fantastic, but I just wish he understood. Through all of this, I can't help but see some very tender mercies. Marsh and I were talking and I realized that the Lord has definitely played his part in showing me tender mercies lately. Instead of feeling like I'm unfortunate, I can't help but feel how blessed I've been to have him safe each of these times he's been lost. I also find it a very tender mercy that I went back to school and we've waited to have another child. When I was contemplating going back to school, we realized not only how crazy it would be, but the fact that we would have a large gap before having another baby. If I hadn't gone back to school, Rowan wouldn't be in his two awesome preschools, getting the help he needs, and we probably would have another child right now. I'm sure I probably would be on the point of a nervous breakdown and I know the Lord is mindful of that. What I've realized more than anything is that He knows each and every unique situation. He puts things into our lives to help us grow and stretch, but also gives us challenges. He is there. He knows me and my needs and for that I am thankful.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Who would have known that when Marshall gave me my first Valentine's Day Present 13 years ago that we would be where we are today? We were the ripe age of 16 back then and I was totally in love in my 16 year old mind. I honestly could not ask for a better husband and father. He came home from work last night with balloons and an edible bouquet. I got some funny butterflies in my stomach when I looked at him and realized just how much I love him.

I still remember what he gave me that first Valentine's Day. Two roses, one purple, one white - my favorite. Although I may not remember every Valentine's Day from then to now, there's one thing I'm always reminded of. How much he loves me. Thank you Marsh. *

Sunday, February 12, 2012

We've never paid for our boys to get a haircut. I have no clue how to cut hair, but my hair cutting savvy hubby absolutely does. He actually cuts his own hair, and has always cut the boy's. I can't ever get over the fact how a haircut makes them look an entire year older though.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

First off, thanks for all your love on my last post. What a hard day it was, and sometimes I just need to vent. I think we are going to hold off on the referral for now to see if Rowan makes some improvements in his preschool first. Both Marshall and I feel good about that. I am feeling a bit better and am incredibly thankful for family, friends, kind words and small acts of service. THANK YOU!

If you've ever heard of Brian Regan, you'll know that he's hilarious. Marshall and I have loved his stuff for years. He's a super clean comedian that manages to keep you laughing, without doing what many other comedians do. I've seen certain comedians in the past that I turn off in less than 30 seconds because of what comes out of their mouth. When I heard Brian Regan was coming to SLC, I knew what I wanted to get Marshall for Christmas. I checked on tickets, only to find that they were mostly sold out and pretty costly. Then around Thanksgiving, I noticed that they added 3 more shows and found a place that sold the tickets cheaper. We went on a Saturday afternoon and had 7th row seats.Before the show, we ate lunch at Tucanos (a Brazilian restaurant) and took the train down to where the show was, at Abravanel Hall. What a day to be outside. Tons and tons and TONS of rain which then turned into snow. I was wearing a pair of boots that were more for cute than protection and my feet were so wet and cold. When we finally got to the show, we couldn't stop laughing. The kind of laughing where your cheeks hurt so bad after an hour and a half. He did 10 shows here in SLC and I'm hoping he comes back again next year, it was so worth it! Wonderful date with my sweetheart. In case any of you haven't heard of Brian Regan, watch one of his clips below. Love it!